Hanging in there

Reader question:

Please explain “hanging in there” in this sentence: Thank you for hanging in there with us during these difficult times.

My comments:

Thank you for staying with us during these difficult times. Thank you for not giving up.

Hanging in there? The question is, hanging in where?

Imagine clothes holding onto the clothes hanger dangling on the clothesline up in the air in gusty wind. The clothes are hanging on in there as they swing wildly in the wind. They’re in a precarious situation, at the risk of being swept off at any moment.

Or imagine a cat holding onto a branch up in a tree in the same gusty situation. The powerless cat is holding onto the branch for its dear life, as the wind can carry it off any moment.

And at a moment like this, what you want to say to the cat, if it were a fellow man who needs your help, is: Hang in there. Don’t give up.

Yes, “hang in there” is the exact thing Americans say to someone in that type of situation by way of encouragement.

Don’t give up as the situation will improve, hopefully soon.

Speaking of the cat, by the way, some Americans believe the cat-in-the-tree scene is precisely how this expression got popularized, as per USDictionary.com:

The phrase “hang in there” originated in the United States during the 20th century. It seems to have gained popularity in the 1970s, possibly due to the influence of a popular motivational poster featuring a kitten clinging to a tree branch with the caption, “Hang in there, Baby.” Despite its relatively modern origin, the sentiment it expresses – perseverance in the face of adversity – is timeless.

Plausible.

At any rate, “hang in there” is what we do and what we encourage other people in times of difficulty.

Hang in there! Don’t give up. Persevere!

All right, here are media examples:

1. Michael J. Fox reflected on the standing ovation he received at the 2024 BAFTA Awards. In a recent interview with ET, the actor opened up about the emotional night as well as sharing some insight on his ongoing battle with Parkinson’s Disease.

Fox, known for his activism and work with his foundation, was celebrated at the event in London’s Royal Festival Hall, where he made a surprise appearance to present the Best Film award back in February. “It’s still really surprising,” the 62-year-old admitted in the interview, attributing the ovation not just to personal accolades but as a “recognition of determination and resolve to solve the big problem,” and that he thinks “People are just saying, ‘Thanks for hanging in there and going after this.’ And I appreciate that.”

Fox has been openly battling Parkinson’s since his diagnosis in 1991 at the age of 29, and views himself as a symbol of optimism. “That’s what people were responding to at the BAFTAS... The issue is that people really want to believe that we can do things, and I think they see me as somebody who’s doing that.” he said. The Back to the Future alum was escorted on stage at the BAFTAS back in February in a wheelchair after being presented on stage by Doctor Who’s David Tennant. He continued to stand and was presented the award, where he received his emotional standing ovation.

While talking about his diagnosis, Fox’s approach is pragmatic and focused on the collective, rather than his individual struggle: “After 35 years or something since I’ve been diagnosed, this is just my life and I don’t think about it much... I don’t even think about [it]. Except that I’m thinking about what we’re going to do as a community to figure this out and find a cure – and short of a cure, [create] treatment centers that are really groundbreaking.”

Despite the challenges, Fox remains positive, considering his life “a great ride” filled with “all the good stuff.”

- Michael Fox Reveals How He Copes With Ongoing Parkinson’s Battle, Newsweek.com, April 3, 2024.

2. The Republican Senate gave Donald Trump a Valentine’s Day present in the form of William Barr when he was confirmed as Attorney General and immediately sworn in. Trump got his very own Roy Cohn; a sychophant legal bodyguard.

Trump’s first Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, proved a bitter disappointment to the president when the AG – after being exposed for lying about Russian contacts – recused himself from matters related to Moscow’s interference in the 2016 presidential election. Trump prefers loyalty over law, something he learned from his cruel, self-hating gay lawyer/mentor Cohn.

After Sessions stepped aside, Mueller was appointed Special Counsel to investigate such matters and Trump considered himself “fucked,” as we know now.

Amid a torrent of constant abuse hurled at him by an enraged president, Sessions held on until November 7, 2018 when he submitted his letter of resignation – as demanded by Trump. Sessions’s transgression was, as AG, that he abided by the rule of law (only after being exposed by The New York Times and The Washington Post, of course). We should probably thank Sessions for hanging in there as long as he did, or we might have gotten Barr a lot sooner. After the release of a redacted two-volume Mueller Report last week, former White House Counsel Don McGahn finds himself Trump’s new target for abuse because he took contemporaneous notes during White House meetings and told the truth to Mueller’s team.

Knowing that only dishonor brings presidential praise, Barr readily stepped into his role as yet another liar for Trump. As Trump’s Cohn, Barr proves himself to be the gift that keeps on giving. His four-page letter to Congress on March 24, ostensibly summarizing principle conclusions reached by Mueller, was an exercise in deceit. The press conference held by Barr on Thursday morning was distinguished by lie after lie. We can only expect more truth-bending when Barr testifies before the House Judiciary Committee (if he does). It is clearly Barr’s job to feed distortions of the true findings in the Mueller Report to Trump’s gullible base and independent voters weary of the entire matter of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

- Trump Finally Gets His Roy Cohn, Advocate.com, April 24, 2019.

3. Nicole Kidman is opening up about her mom’s profound final words to her before her death.

The Babygirl star mourned the death of her mother, Janelle Ann Kidman, in September, and recalled her last words during an interview on CBS Sunday Morning on Sunday, December 15.

“The final words my mama said, which I didn’t know were gonna be the final words … I was going to get on a plane and go back to see her. And she was like, ‘Maybe wait a minute because I think you just need to take care of yourself right now, Nicky,’” Kidman, 57, said. “So, I’m doing that more. And I say that to other people in the world, and particularly women. I think we tend not to take care of ourselves.”

The Oscar winner went on to reveal that when her grandmother passed away, her final words were, “Be happy.”

“And my mom said, ‘Take care of yourself,’” Kidman recalled.

Kidman said her mom’s final words are something she will honor as a mother of four herself. (Kidman shares daughter Isabella, 31, and son Connor, 29, with ex-husband Tom Cruise and teenage daughters Sunday Rose, 16, and Faith Margaret, 13, with husband Keith Urban.)

“Obviously, I’m an older mother, so I want to be around for a long time for my girls,” Kidman said. “They’re amazing girls, and I’m lucky to have them. So taking care of myself means so that I can take care of them.”

Kidman found out about her mother’s death in early September shortly after arriving at the Venice International Film Festival.

“Today I arrived in Venice to find out shortly after, that my beautiful, brave mother Janelle Ann Kidman has just passed,” Kidman shared in a statement read on her behalf by Babygirl director Halina Reijn during the September 7 awards ceremony, where Kidman won best actress. “I am in shock and I have to go to my family, but this award is for her, she shaped me, she guided me and she made me.”

The statement continued, “I am beyond grateful that I get to say her name to all of you through Halina, the collision of life and art is heartbreaking, and my heart is broken.”

...

In October, Kidman admitted she deeply missed her mom. “It’s been hard,” Nicole, 57, told The Hollywood Reporter at the Lioness season 2 premiere in Los Angeles. “It’s a hard road. I’m hanging in there.”

The actress said it was bittersweet to be celebrating her career success without her mother around to share it.

“I wish my mama was here,” Nicole told the outlet. “That’d be the one thing I’d say. Everything is great with work, but I wish my mama was here.”

- Nicole Kidman Shares Her Mom’s Profound Last Words to Her, USMagazine.com, December 16, 2024.

本文仅代表作者本人观点，与本网立场无关。欢迎大家讨论学术问题，尊重他人，禁止人身攻击和发布一切违反国家现行法律法规的内容。

About the author:

Zhang Xin is Trainer at chinadaily.com.cn. He has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.

（作者：张欣）